Aquaponics involves the symbiotic integration of the growth of aquatic species with growth of plants. The general concept of the aquaponics system is that the waste products from the aquatic species are used as nutrients for the plant species. In utilising the nutrient-rich waste of the aquatic species, the plants somewhat cleanse the circulating water, making it suitable for the aquatic species to survive in.
Aquaponic systems are being increasingly recognised as having potential for solving some of the many problems facing modern agriculture and aquaculture systems. These problems include:                A. Unsustainable and increasing water use in a world of diminishing water resources        B. Land previously suitable for agriculture becoming prohibitively expensive or unavailable due to urbanisation and urban sprawl.        C. As a consequence of point B above, the ‘food miles’ (distance from food production to end consumer) is rapidly increasing, resulting in a range of ecological and human health problems, such as breakdown of nutrient recycling, increased energy consumption and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions, loss of food freshness and nutritional quality, etc.        D. Waste effluents and chemical pollutants from food production systems causing ecological and human health problems        E. Loss of fertile soil.        F. Net protein loss in conventional aquaculture and aquaponic systems in which ocean-caught protein sources are used as aquaculture feeds.        
Although aquaponic systems have some potential for solving these problems, prior art aquaponic systems have had only limited success in realising this potential.
Accordingly it would be advantageous if an aquaponics system could be devised which may at least partially address the problems above or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.